1. Field of the Invention
This invention lies in the area of connectors for cardiac pacing systems and, more particularly, connectors for connecting electrodes and electronic pacers which are normally not compatible for connection.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cardiac pacing systems, wherein the heart is stimulated by signals generated by electronic devices known as Pacemakers, or pacers, have become widely used since the inception of the pacer industry in about the early 1960's. Basically, a pacer system normally requires two components, namely the pacer itself to generate the signals, and an electrode which has one end connected to the output of the pacer and the other end positioned within the patient's heart, the electrode serving the function of delivering the generated stimulus signals from the pacer to the heart. The electrode, sometimes referred to as a catheter, also delivers sensed natural cardiac signals back to the pacer in systems that operate on a demand basis. The methods of insertion of the electrode through a portion of the patient's cardiovascular system and of positioning the distal stimulating tip thereof at the proper place in the heart, are well known and documented.
With the increased use of cardiac pacing systems, there have been a number of manufacturers which have produced either pacers or electrodes or both. As a result of the relatively quick proliferation of such manufacturers over the last decade, there have appeared a variety of electrode and pacer designs, without any uniformity or standardization of the means of connecting one to the other. As can be expected, any given manufacturer who produces both devices designs them to be connectable, but as a rule an electrode of a first manufacturer will not normally connect to a pacer of a second company, and vice versa. This causes a substantial problem to the physician who sets out to implant a pacer of one manufacturer and has only the electrode of another, or who wishes to replace, in a patient who has an ingrown electrode of a first make, an old pacer with a new pacer of a different make.
As a result of the above difficulties, there are now commercially available connectors, or adapters, to enable connection of unmatched pacer-electrode pairs. However, such connectors are generally not satisfactory, for a variety of reasons. Some require screwing of the electrode to the connector; some require the application of insulating adhesive paste; and some even require cutting of the electrode to adapt it to the connector, which is even less desirable. What is needed, and indeed has been an acutely felt need in this area, is a connector which can be manipulated easily and reliably by the physician, and without the need of any unwanted ancillary operations.